1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for recording a user data on an optical disc medium, and more particularly to an optical disc medium, and an optical disc apparatus using the same, and a recording method on the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an optical disc field in which a data is recorded and reproduced by using a small optical beam, a ROM (Read Only Memory) medium dedicated to reproduction is first spread widely in which an embossed data pit string is formed in advance, and then CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) and DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disc-Recordable) that a user data can be recorded are widely spread. Also, optical disc media called CD-RW (CD-ReWritable) and DVD-RW (DVD-ReWritable) that data can be rewritten are known. Here, the optical disc media that the user data can be recorded are generically referred to as a recording type optical disc medium.
In the recording type optical disc medium, a spiral groove track is formed on an optical disc substrate, and a multi-layer recording layer made of an organic material and the like is formed thereon. A laser beam of high power is focused on this recording layer to change the property of the recording layer and to form a record pit. Thus, a data is recorded on the optical disc medium. The optical disc medium after the recording operation has a same data format as the ROM medium, and a servo signal of the substantially same property as the ROM medium can be obtained form the optical disc medium on which the data recorded. Thus, the optical disc apparatus dedicated to the reproduction can carry out the reproduction of the recorded user data on the optical disc medium.
Also, in the DVD-R, a user data is subjected to a format conversion into a format in which a data ID such as an address, and an error correction code are added, and then is recorded as a series of continuous data on the optical disc medium. This continuous record format is the same format as that of the DVD-ROM.
However, if the optical disc medium is given the perfectly same format as the DVD-ROM, the user data can be recorded only once. Therefore, a recording method called a multi-session and multi-border is adopted to permit the user data to be recorded additionally several times. In this case, a special data called a border area where data of a data position and the like is recorded is provided after the user data, and another user data is further recorded thereafter. A reproducing apparatus can reproduce the user data by using the data position data.
In conjunction with the above description, the following techniques for writing a data into a rewritable in recording medium such as CD-RW or DVD-RAM.
Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A 2000-504462) discloses a writing apparatus which includes a writing unit and a positioning unit. The writing unit writes a mark indicating a data block in an area of a recording medium with an electromagnetic emission beam, in order to write the data block on a track pattern of the rewritable recording medium. The positioning unit positions the writing unit in accordance with a track structure of the recording medium. The track structure has the track pattern. Such a writing apparatus has a first detecting unit, a second detecting unit and an initializing unit. The first detecting unit detects the area of the recording medium used to write the data block. The second detecting unit detects a non-written boundary area adjacent to the used area. The initializing unit writes a dummy data to the non-written boundary area.
Also, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A 2000-504463) discloses a writing apparatus, which writes a data block to a track pattern on a writable recording medium. This writing apparatus includes a writing unit and a positioning unit. The writing unit writes a mark indicating a data block into the region of the recording medium with an electromagnetic emission beam. The positioning unit positions the writing unit on the recording medium in accordance with a track structure indicating a track pattern. This writing apparatus includes a state unit for generating a state data to indicate the fact that a write operation is carried out on at least one region of the recording medium. In the writing apparatus, the state data is extended from a start section of the track pattern region in which the data block is written, and has an initial region data for indicating an initial region to which it is written without any interruption.